


Affaire de Coeur

by Polerfan1986



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Belle is naive but becomes a lot wiser, F/M, Gold is a devious bastard, Gold is an asshole, Humor, Mild Language, Regina gets owned by Gold, Regina is a bitch, Tags and Rating will change as the story goes on, shortbread biscuits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-07-15 12:27:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7222285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polerfan1986/pseuds/Polerfan1986
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr Gold is well known as Storybrooke's resident loan shark and cad.  He cares for nothing and no one except himself.  Mr Gold finds himself growing bored with life in his little town until one day Belle French returns after having been away to college and unwittingly draws his attention.  Gold wants her and on his terms and what Mr Gold wants he always gets.  But Belle isn't easy and what was once a simple mission of seduce and discard to the ruthless pawnbroker and landlord becomes a lot more complicated than he ever anticipated when he realises he has feelings for Belle.  This one is inspired by Dangerous Liaisons 1988.  Disclaimer: I own neither Once Upon A Time or Dangerous Liaisons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Challenge

It had all started on a Monday, one summers’ afternoon in July.  Nicholas Gold was returning to his pawnshop to make notes in his ledger about the rent money he’d collected that morning and was feeling quite bored with life in his quiet little town, there was always someone with the same old excuses for not having rent money in on time every month, always some foolish customer chancing their arm to venture into his shop and daring to try and haggle with him over the price of something they wanted only to leave disappointed.

The town residents went through the same routine every day, the waitress sitting sandwich boards outside the diner where they reheated the same frozen meals and clearing tables, the schoolteacher always rushing down the street in a hurry and not watching where she was going.  The flower shop owner putting plant displays up outside the shop window, the psychiatrist walking his Dalmatian, the Mayor strolling down one side of the street with a smug look on her face while he walked down the other side to his shop, the same women most of whom he’d already had and the same old gossip doing the rounds, usually about him. _Aye_ Nicholas Gold thought to himself _same old shite, different day_.

But today something was different, there was a petite young woman in Granny’s Diner his last stop of the day for rent and he collided with her just as she was turning to make her way out of the diner with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. “Watch where you’re going” he snapped gruffly at her as he pushed past her to stand at the counter not expecting a reply. “Excuse me but it takes two people to walk into each other and you have eyes as well, you saw me carrying this cup of coffee and holding this book, you could have walked around me instead of trying to go through me so why don’t you watch where you’re going” she retorted.

He froze, no one ever, ever talked back to him in Storybrooke and he whipped around and found himself facing fierce big blue eyes and lush kissable lips framed by gorgeous dark chestnut curls, it was a pity that those eyes were narrowed and those lips were set in a scowl at him.  “I don’t think you realise who you're talking to dearie” he snarked. The entire diner had gone quiet, Gold had never been challenged before and the customers were watching with bated breath to see who would come out on top.  “On the contrary, I know exactly who you are Mr Gold, and owning the town doesn’t give you leave to be abominably rude to everyone in it” she snapped at him, “now if you’ll excuse me” and with that she marched past him and out the door, walking down Main Street towards the library with her nose stuck in her book.

He was gobsmacked, there were men in this town who were over six feet tall and built like rugby players who didn’t have the balls to speak to him like that and that pint sized woman had just given him back better than he gave and in front of everyone in the diner as well.  Seeing her stop outside the library gave him pause, he’d forgotten entirely that the Mayor had announced at the last town council meeting that the library would be reopening now that there was room in the budget for it.

Regina had mentioned that they would be hiring a local girl to be the new librarian.  So that begged the question who exactly was the beautiful girl who’d been so gloriously unafraid of him and was now unlocking the library doors and slipping inside and how had she managed to slip under his radar all this time?  He suddenly snapped himself out of his stupor remembering where he was when he heard the Widow Lucas address him and saw her holding out a wad of rolled up notes, “It’s all there” she told him nervously, “yes, yes of course it is dear, thank you” he replied and then left the diner.

The petite, brunette firecracker currently somewhere in the library warranted investigating he thought to himself as he took his phone from his pocket and called his assistant. “Ah Mr Dove” he said, “I have a little job for you, I want you to do a little reconnaissance work on the new librarian. I want to know who she is, who her family and friends are, who her boyfriend is if she has one, where she lives, what sort of person she is, work and college references. Furthermore I want you to follow her for the week to learn her routine, everything about her, what time she wakes up at in the morning, what she has for breakfast, lunch and dinner, hobbies, likes, dislikes etc, I want everything you can get about her understand Dove?, good now run along and get back to me when you have it all there’s a good chap and there’ll be a nice bonus in your pay packet this month for your trouble.”

She was someone new, different, someone who clearly knew who he was and wasn’t the least bit afraid of him and she was someone he hadn’t slept with.  This to Gold was a challenge, he had a reputation as an all-round bastard in the town and for good reason.  He was known for being completely ruthless with his tenants, if they didn’t pay up every single penny of rent on time every month they could expect to be out on their ear come rent day. He was also a money lender and the same rules applied to anyone who was desperate enough to have to borrow money from him, pay up on time or Gold would take what was owed him in collateral even if it meant leaving someone homeless and penniless.

Mr Gold was also a complete and utter cad with a reputation for seducing women and then dumping them like hot coal once he’d had his fun.  He cared for nothing and no one but himself.  He decided to hold back and not make any moves on the woman until he heard from Dove, after all you don’t try to acquire something without first knowing everything about it, even if said acquisition was only going to be temporary.

He was tinkering with an antique clock a week later when he heard the shop bell ring signalling someone’s arrival, Gold looked up to see Mr Dove carrying a zipped plastic folder, “the information you requested sir” he said placing the folder on the counter in front of his employer.  Gold opened the folder and gave it’s contents a precursory glance before moving and opening his safe, “thorough as always Dove, your pay and bonus” he said handing the man a sealed envelope.

After Dove had left, Mr Gold took the folder into the back of his shop to peruse the contents further. The woman's name was Belle French, she was 25, her mother was deceased and it turned out that her father was the bear with the sore head who ran the flower shop, one of his tenants, _how delightful_ Gold mused filing that information away for later he wasn’t above using blackmail to get a woman into his bed if he had to.

Belle was living with her father in his house. Her friends were Ruby Lucas one of the waitresses from Granny’s - she couldn’t stand the sight of him, Emma Swan the deputy sheriff - that one could prove tricky if he wasn’t careful and the schoolteacher Mary Margaret Nolan and her husband David. Belle had only had one serious boyfriend, that lunkhead Gaston and that had been before she’d left Storybrooke four years ago to study for her bachelor’s degree in History in New York and then her master’s in Library Science at Yale, she’d been a top student throughout her education always getting the highest grades and her teachers and lecturers couldn’t speak highly enough of her, when she had been at Yale she’d had two close friends by the names of Anna and Merida whom she still kept in touch with but Dove had written in an attached note that she was currently single and that he could find no trace of any serious boyfriends during her time at college.

So she was a quiet little bookworm, a good girl, and one who hadn’t much sexual experience by the sounds of things, he would take the greatest enjoyment in pursuing her and thoroughly educating her about the pleasures of the flesh. He wanted her, what was more he wanted her willing and unable to stop herself, and Mr Gold always got what he wanted.


	2. What Is True Of Most Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle is working in the flower shop when Mr Gold arrives to collect his rent money. Mr Gold also pays Mayor Mills a visit.

Belle was working in her father’s flower shop Game of Thorns on Monday afternoon covering for Moe while he made deliveries when Mr Gold walked in. “Good Afternoon Miss French” he greeted her formally. “Mr Gold” she replied curtly with a nod “If you’ll give me a moment I’ll get your money for you.”

“Actually Miss French I’m not here solely for the rent today, I’m also here to offer you the chance to rent the apartment currently sitting empty above the library, I thought it only fitting what with you being the new librarian, you see the town council may have the final say over the library but the apartment above it is one of my properties.”

Belle looked sidelong at him for a moment studying him before nodding her assent “I am interested in renting that apartment as it so happens Mr Gold it would be much more convenient for me work-wise and I do need a living space that I can call my own.”

Little did she know that Mr Gold was thinking the exact same thing but for an entirely different reason altogether. When he did finally take her he wanted to hear her scream her pleasure and that couldn’t very well happen if her father was in the room down the hall. Of course he knew that she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him right now but he would change that, he would break down her barriers and then have his wicked way with her.

“Of course you do” he replied nodding “in that case I’ll have the paperwork for the apartment drawn up and brought to you to sign as soon as possible.”

Belle nodded and went to retrieve the envelope with the rent money in it which Moe had left in the back room. Mr Gold swept his eyes over her as he watched her go, when she returned and rounded the counter to pass the envelope to him he grasped her hand and pulled her to him without warning, he wrapped an arm around her waist and leaning down he kissed her cheek and lightly brushed his lips against hers before he drew back slightly to gauge her reaction, she gasped and pushed him away.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked him trying to fight the blush she knew must have been beginning to creep over her face. “Kissing a beautiful woman” he replied “if only collecting rent from all of my tenants was such a pleasure.” Belle was furious for allowing herself to be flustered by a kiss, by a kiss from him of all people and she stepped back further widening the gap between them.

“If I didn’t know any better Miss French I’d say you didn’t trust me” he told her mockingly.

“I don’t trust you” she replied archly “you have a reputation that precedes you Mr Gold, I’ve been warned about you many times over since I came back to town.”

“Really, you don’t say” he replied feigning hurt “May I ask by whom have you been warned.”

“No, you may not ask” Belle countered flatly. Truth be told she’d heard all manner of rumors about the man from almost everyone in town up to and including the mayor herself. She’d experienced a taste of his arrogance herself only a week ago in the diner and her friends Ruby, Emma and Mary Margaret had told her to be very careful around him. Her own father had said that very morning that Mr Gold was a money grabbing, conniving bastard. 

Ruby’s grandmother the Widow Lucas who ran the diner had told her “Mr Gold never opens his mouth without first calculating what damage he can do” and Mayor Mills when she had visited the library on Friday morning had cautioned her not to get tangled up with Mr Gold in any way because “what is true of most men is doubly so of him my dear, I’d keep well away from him if I were you.”

“If there’s nothing else I think perhaps you should go Mr Gold” she told him sternly.

“As you wish, I’ll see you soon with the paperwork for the apartment” he replied with a sly grin. He was quite pleased with himself as he left the flower shop for having flustered her with his kiss, his plan was in motion.

He returned to his house and briefly went through Belle’s file again until he found what he was looking for having spotted another handwritten note from Dove. This one said that Regina had been in the library on Friday and had held a rather lengthy discussion with Belle during which his name had been mentioned several times, oh he knew no doubt that others would have warned her as well, they however could be easily dismissed but he took exception to the mayor trying to interfere with his business.

Oh it would be pure child’s play swaying Belle to his side, the odd good deed here or there to contradict what her nearest and dearest would no doubt have told her about him, he would of course call on her again and appeal to that part of her that was present in all women the belief that they could change their men for the better.

However thanks to Dove’s note in Belle’s file it seemed a visit to the Mayor was now in order, the power dynamic in Storybrooke was such that Mr Gold and Mayor Mills had a long standing agreement that neither one would get in the others face or business and no one ever went back on a deal with him, he would not tolerate her sticking her nose into his affairs, Regina needed to be brought to heel.

When Regina entered the Mayoral office after lunch, Mr Gold was sitting in her chair with his feet up on her desk waiting for her. “What the fuck do you want and get out of my chair” she snapped at him.

“We had an agreement, you’ve been poking your nose around were it doesn’t belong dearie” he replied as he rose from her seat and approached her with all the grace of a panther that had just spotted its next meal.

Before Regina could make a move he had her pinned against the wall beside the door which he promptly shut. “I intend to have my fun with that girl and make her the talk of the town and I’m going to enjoy doing it” he said as his right hand landed on Regina’s thigh while his left rested against her throat “and you will not interfere with my business in any way ever again unless you want to become part of a scandal yourself.”

“What’s the matter?” she replied cattily “you usually work faster than this when you have seduction in mind, does the little bookworm see you for what you really are?” she taunted him.

He gripped her throat a little harder “I had your mother, I had your half-sister and I could just as easily have you if I wanted to and make it a full house. I could take you right now if I felt like it and then I would go and tell your beloved Robin all about it and your other numerous cosy little affairs and secrets like Daniel, Sidney and Graham to name but a few, I’m sure Robin would love to know all about them” he hissed into her face as his hand traveled under her purple sheath dress and up her inner thigh, he pushed her panties aside and finding her wet, teased her by stroking two of his fingers along her slit.

“Don’t ever forget dearie” he said “we both know who the master of this town really is and it isn’t you, you are just a figurehead, I’m the one with the power in Storybrooke” he told her as he withdrew his hand from under her dress, stepped back and wiped her wetness off his fingers with a tissue from the box on her desk and then placed said tissue into her hand, “so you dearie will keep well away from Belle until I’m finished with her if you know what’s good for you, do you understand?”

Regina shivered and nodded “fine, fine” she muttered “I’ll enjoy seeing the downfall of that goody two shoes little librarian after she becomes your slut anyway, and don’t ever touch me again you dirty little bastard” she snapped at him as she threw the tissue in the bin with a look of disgust on her face.

“Excellent” Gold replied “then never fear your deepest darkest secrets are safe with me all in here” he said tapping the side of his head a statement and a warning rolled in to one to make sure that Regina remembered in future who held all the cards.

“Oh and dearie you calling me a dirty little bastard is most certainly one of the best examples of the pot calling the kettle black that I've ever heard” he called out as he waltzed out of her office with a smirk on his face, no matter how hard she tried Regina would never beat him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Gold is going to be a devious bastard for a while in this one.


	3. Breaking and Entering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Gold's shop is broken into and Belle finds him unconscious on the floor.

Belle was sorting through the library on Tuesday afternoon when the phone in her office started ringing. She stood and left the pile of books that she had surrounded herself with to answer it, dusting herself off as she went.

“Hello, Storybrooke Library” she said when she picked up the receiver.

“Miss French, it’s Mr Gold, I have the paperwork for the apartment ready for you if you’d like to pop across to the shop and sign it” he told her in his thick Scottish brogue.

“Thank you very much Mr Gold” she replied “I’ll be along before closing if that’s alright with you?”

“Perfect dearie I’ll see you soon” he answered silkily and hung up the phone.

Belle returned to sorting books and wound up getting so caught up in tidying and reading the blurbs on some of them as she went along that she totally lost track of time. When she eventually sorted the books onto their respective shelves and emerged from the stacks to check the time it was nine o’clock and long past closing time for both the library and the pawnshop.

She would have to go to Mr Gold and sign the lease in the morning she thought as she pulled her coat on and grabbed her bag. It was only after she had locked the doors of the library and turned around to head for home that she noticed a dim light on in the pawnshop and the door was lying open.

“That’s odd” Belle muttered to herself and she crossed the street to investigate “Mr Gold?” she called as she stood at the door and tentatively pushed it open the rest of the way.

“Mr Gold?” she tried again but there was no sign of the pawnbroker. The light had been coming from a lamp that was switched on and had been knocked to the floor and she spied a wall safe hanging open behind the counter. Belle was just about to call the sheriff when she heard a groan from somewhere behind one of the counters.

She made her way around the counter and found Mr Gold lying seemingly unconscious on the floor. “Mr Gold” she gasped but he didn't move. Belle may not have been overly fond of the man but she didn’t like seeing anyone hurt even if it was someone like Mr Gold.

Belle knelt on the floor by his side, she saw a trail of blood running onto the floor and followed it to a cut on the side of his head which had been hidden by his hair. She stroked the side his forehead brushing the hair away from the cut, she leaned close to examine it when suddenly he flinched as she touched him and opened his eyes and before Belle could move he grasped her wrists and pulled her astride him.

“Well Miss French, I never knew you cared” he quipped at her his hands coming to rest on her hips. “I don’t" she retorted "I only came to sign my lease, I stayed longer than I planned in the library this evening and if it hadn’t been for that I wouldn’t have found you here at all, now if you don’t mind let me up please” she said calmly.

“Oh I don’t mind at all dearie, I could stay like this with you all night” he told her smugly "but alas Miss French I was the victim of a break in so I shall have to get cleaned up and pay Sheriff Swan a visit. Would you do me a favour dearie?”

“Depends on the favour” Belle quipped back.

“Touché Miss French I only want you to fetch the first aid kit for me it’s in the back, in the bottom drawer of my desk if you would be so kind.”

She nodded, he released her from his grasp and she rose up onto her feet and then extended her hand to help him up off the floor, he looked at her questioningly “I’m not the kind of person who would leave a cripple lying on the floor even if it's you” she said rolling her eyes.

He took her hand and pushed himself off the floor, Belle turned and went through the curtain to the back of the shop to fetch the kit, when she turned Mr Gold was standing barely a few feet from her. She looked at him for a moment before she gestured to the cot “sit” she ordered, he blinked in surprise at the command and then grinned slyly, “Fond of giving orders are you dearie?” he commented.

Belle rolled her eyes heavenward again, “I’m not going to dignify that with a response” she answered him as she opened the box and began to clean his cut, the stinging sensation of the ointment she was using to clean it making him hiss. She suddenly felt very unsettled being in such close proximity to him and having his gaze locked on her face as she tended to him.

“Well it’s only a superficial cut, you’re lucky” she told him “what happened here?” she asked him trying to make conversation to distract his attention from her not that it worked, his eyes remained locked on her as he spoke.

“As I said someone broke in and stole something from me” he replied, “you may know her actually a Miss Ashley Boyd?”

Belle gasped “No, I mean I always see her around but I don’t know her very well, Ruby does though because she works with her at the diner, Ashley always seemed like such a nice person” she commented.

“Yes well she broke in, I caught her and she used pepper spray on me, I fell and hit my head on the counter and then I woke up to see my wall safe hanging open and your lovely face looking back at me” he told her.

Belle felt herself blush at his comment, he reached out his hand to stroke her cheek and she leaned in slightly to his touch.

“I love seeing you blush for me” he murmured to her and she jerked her face away from him remembering where she was and who she was with.

“You’re all cleaned up now and I really should be going” she said as she withdrew from him. He grasped her hand “just a moment Miss French, your lease and keys to the apartment.”

He left the cot and moved to unlock the drawer of a bureau in the corner of the room and produced paperwork and a set of keys, he placed the papers before her, “standard tenancy agreement Miss French just sign here” he said indicating the blank space and handed her a pen.

Once she had signed the lease and he had passed her the keys she turned to leave “I hope you get back whatever it was that Ashley stole from you Mr Gold.”

"So do I Miss French" he said watching as she left the shop _Oh dearie_ he thought to himself _If only you knew_.


	4. Wording Is Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle discovers the true nature of Mr Gold's deal with Ashley and confronts him about it.

The day after she had found Mr Gold on the floor of his shop Belle was just settling down to eat her lunch at the diner whilst pouring over the pages of a book of course when she overheard a conversation between Emma and her flatmate Mary Margaret who was a teacher at Storybrooke Elementary.

Ordinarily Belle would have been far too engrossed in whatever she happened to be reading to pay any attention to what others around her were saying but when she heard Mr Gold and Ashley’s names mentioned her attention was peaked and she couldn’t help but listen to the rest.

Emma was telling Mary Margaret that after she had left for work Mr Gold had called to their apartment that morning about Ashley Boyd breaking into his shop the night before.

“What was Ashley doing breaking into Mr Gold’s shop?, that’s not at all like her" Mary Margaret commented.

“Mr Gold told me that she stole something valuable from him, said it was a precious object but wouldn’t elaborate any further on what it was. So I came here to the diner because I couldn’t find Ashley and I asked Ruby if she knew anything and she pointed me in the direction of Ashley’s ex-boyfriend Sean Herman.”

“and?” Mary Margaret prompted.

“When I got to Sean’s house, I met his father who told me that Ashley had agreed to put her baby up for adoption because she didn't think that she could give the child a good life with her, he told me that he got her a deal with someone.” Emma continued.

“She sold her baby?” Mary Margaret spluttered and in the booth next to her Belle almost choked on a piece of her grilled chicken sandwich.

“You haven’t heard the worst part yet” Emma said to Mary Margaret “Sean’s father told me that he found someone who would find the child a good and proper home, someone who will pay Ashley extremely well and see to it that everyone is happy, that someone turned out to be Mr Gold.”

“Mr Herman thought that Mr Gold had hired me to bring the baby to him can you believe that?” Emma said grabbing the cup of coffee in front of her and draining it.

“Did you find Ashley?” her pixie-haired flatmate asked her.

“Oh I found her alright after being led on a wild goose chase by Ruby to give Ashley a head start, I caught up with her by the side of the road near the town line and she was in labor so I brought her to the hospital, she had a little girl and guess who showed up to collect his _merchandise_?" Emma replied.

“No way, did you try to talk him out of it?” the teacher asked her.

“Of course I did" the blonde replied, "Ashley changed her mind and wants to keep her baby and she’s well within her rights to do so but I couldn’t talk him down, he kept saying something about his agreements always being honoured.”

“So he took the baby?” Mary Margaret said aghast.

“No, no she’s still with Ashley at the hospital for now but he’ll be back to collect her” Emma told her sounding somewhat defeated.

Belle sat in disbelief, stunned and angry and trying to process what she’d just heard. Having rapidly lost her appetite over the course of the eavesdropped conversation, she left part of her lunch behind, hastily throwing her book and purse into her handbag and leaving the diner as fast as she could.

She immediately headed for the pawnshop barging through the door and slamming it shut behind her so hard that it rattled in it’s frame.

Mr Gold immediately poked his head through the curtain that lead to the back, "Miss French to what do I owe the pleasure?" he said fully emerging into the front of the shop.

Belle squared her shoulders, “I didn’t realize that you were in the business of stealing newborn babies Mr Gold" she said accusingly.

“I don’t know what your talking about dearie I’ve never stolen anyone’s baby I merely facilitate adoptions" he replied coolly.

“You absolute bastard” she snapped outraged “To think I actually felt sorry for you last night when I found you lying on the floor and cleaned you up and all the time you were trying to take Ashley’s baby from her?” she said in that same accusatory tone "No wonder she was desperate enough to break in here."

He felt anger flash through him at her words “Miss French I never have and never will steal any child, Miss Boyd willingly agreed to use my services to help find her child a good home because at the time she felt that she would be unable to provide for an infant.”

“Well Ashley now feels differently and wants to keep her child” Belle told him resolutely “and I’m asking you to relinquish your deal with her and let her keep her baby.”

“Well dearie, I could do that but I didn’t get my reputation by giving people something for nothing” he said slyly seeing an opportunity.

“But it would only be the just and decent thing to annul her agreement with you and let her keep her child and surely you wouldn’t devalue such an act of decency by attempting to use it as a bargaining chip Mr Gold?” Belle questioned him.

“Oh Miss French”, he chuckled “I’m sure you’ve heard from more than one source since you returned to town that being just and decent are not my best qualities. It is only just for me to expect an agreement to be honoured once it has been made however I am willing to consider a counter proposal should you have one in mind” he replied with a cocky smile.

Belle immediately hesitated, what could she offer him, something that she knew he would want but at the same time it would be as harmless as possible to her because it wouldn’t actually be offering him a whole lot or so she thought.

There really wasn’t any other way around it and so after considering she said “A Kiss” _what could be more harmless than a kiss, he's already stolen one from me so I'd wager he'd love to be given one_ she thought to herself.

 _Aye_ he thought _a kiss is good, a kiss I can work with, get an inch and take a mile._

"Very well Miss French I will annul the agreement and Miss Boyd can keep her baby in exchange for a kiss, however you should learn to be more specific when you name a price in future dearie" he told her.

“More specific?” she questioned distinctly not liking the sound of that or the silky tone his voice had taken on as he practically purred it at her like an overgrown cat who’d just got the cream.

“Yes for example when you said a kiss you failed to specify where or when said kiss would take place so I will amend that by saying that your kiss is mine to collect when I choose and where I choose. Oh and Miss French you also failed to specify what body part you would be kissing, for shame, so I reserve the right to decide that as well. Details dearie, details, proper wording or in some cases lack thereof is everything when it comes to the fine art of deal making.”

“You sneaky bastard” she said fixing him with a fierce glare, she felt like kicking herself for making such a slip up, she should have known better.

“Indeed, you’re stunning when you’re in a temper by the way” he replied with a smirk “Oh be sure to pass on my congratulations to the new mother won’t you” he said “and do try to leave my shop door on its hinges on your way out dearie” he said as he brought a clock out from under his desk and began to take it apart.

Outraged Belle spun on her heel and barged out of the shop deliberately slamming the door as hard as she could just to spite him, and she could have sworn she heard him laughing at her.

 _Deal or no deal, you can try to claim your “kiss” all you like you arrogant fucker_ she thought _but it doesn’t mean you’re going to get it._


	5. Shortbread Biscuits and Library Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle is trying to avoid Mr Gold so he can't claim his 'kiss' but ends up running into him anyway, words are exchanged and invitations are given. I'm now on Tumblr: https://dancingscorpiodearie.tumblr.com/

Several days later and Belle was still fuming at how easily Mr Gold had managed to dupe her into his deal.

"Of all the sneaky, low-down, conniving" she muttered to herself as she unpacked the last of her possessions in her new apartment above the library. She had been studiously avoiding Mr Gold for the better part of a week. If she was in the diner and he entered she would be sure to leave, if he was walking down one side of the street she would cross and walk on the other side. She had even gone so far as to slip her deposit and that month’s rent money for her apartment under his shop door in an envelope after he closed up for his lunch so she wouldn’t have to see his smug face.

But it wasn’t enough to stop him from bumping into her accidentally on purpose of course in the supermarket while doing the first full grocery shopping for her new home.

"Well dearie fancy seeing you here" he greeted her casually as he picked up a basket on his way in through the automatic doors and walked past her.

"Are you following me?" she asked him in annoyance.

"Hardly" he replied "In case you haven’t noticed this is the only large supermarket in town and I happen to need a few groceries of my own" he told her as he selected tomatoes, peppers, onions and mushrooms from the produce aisle "contrary to popular belief in this town I don’t eat children."

"Well I didn’t think you did" she said absent mindedly following him along the aisle.

"Oh thank goodness one rumour she hasn’t believed about me, miracles do happen after all" he quipped.

"Are you going to do any actual shopping?" he said pausing and looking pointedly at her own empty basket "or am I buying for two now?"

Belle’s face reddened and she turned as she realised that it looked like she had been following him and she stomped off towards the delicatessen. Chuckling he lifted his basket and followed her as she chose some cold cuts.

"If I didn’t know any better" she hissed to him "I’d say that you had planned the entire exercise with Ashley just to get me to make a deal with you, furthermore it confirms everything I’ve heard about you since I came to town" she told him in a harsh tone.

"Miss French you wound me" he said feigning hurt placing his hand over his heart dramatically, "must you always be my harshest critic?"

"I had no idea that you would even find out about that arrangement let alone that you would take Miss Boyd’s part in the matter, it was merely a happy coincidence that you put yourself in a position that allowed me to make a deal with you."

"I'm sure it was" she answered dryly "why should I believe you, why should I believe a word you say, every moment of your life that you’ve spent in this town, you’ve cultivated a reputation for yourself that makes it impossible for me to believe you?"

"Oh come now dearie I didn’t think you were the kind of person to pass judgement on someone without really knowing them" he remarked.

"I’m not" she replied "it’s just I’ve heard so many different reports about you as to puzzle me exceedingly and you’re doing a poor job of not following me" she now pointed out with a smirk of her own.

"It’s hardly my fault if we happen to like the same dessert" he said in a suggestive town as he lifted a cheesecake. Mr Gold moved on to the biscuit aisle and Belle appeared from the opposite direction five minutes later. He was just about to lift a box of Scottish shortbread biscuits from the shelf, the last box of Scottish shortbread biscuits at that, when Belle also put her hand on the box and they locked eyes with each other.

He tugged the box but she refused to budge holding on to it with an iron grip. "Now see here since when do you like shortbread biscuits?" he said getting irritable.

"I’ve always liked shortbread biscuits" she replied adamantly tugging the box towards her but he refused to let go either.

"Well so have I and I think you’re just trying to buy the last packet purely so I can’t buy it" he retorted, this was new, no one in town ever argued with him over the last box of shortbread it was simply a given that if there was one left on the shelf it was his, end of discussion.

"Utterly preposterous" she replied nonchalantly tugging the box again harder.

Suddenly a wicked smile appeared on his face as he tugged her closer and said in a low voice "I’ll tell you what dearie if you want them so badly make a deal with me, I’d say another kiss would be sufficient."

"Not a chance" she said preparing to relinquish the biscuits.

"Oh come now dearie is the idea of kissing me really so bad? you didn’t seem to object to it too much in your father’s shop if I recall rightly a bit shocked maybe but I think you liked it."

"Is that so well you keep thinking that if it helps you sleep at night" she said despite the bright pink tinging her cheeks again "and we both know that you want more than a kiss from me."

"Oh my dear Miss French it does a great deal more than help me sleep at night and undoubtedly I want more than just a kiss from you and as a matter of fact I think you like me dearie, more than you care to admit to anyone including yourself" he replied.

"Don’t be absurd" she replied "you’re used to women throwing themselves at you, I imagine it must be quite a change for you to meet one who doesn’t instantly fall at your feet?" she retorted.

"Oh dearie I do love your spiciness, if you don’t like me then why get yourself all hot and bothered over my actions or reputation, what do they matter to you if you truly don’t feel anything for me" he answered.

Belle paused momentarily, _no_ she thought to herself _I couldn’t like him of all people in that way could I_?

She ceased the internal debate when she noticed a sly smile forming on his face as if he knew what was running through her mind at that precise moment.

He took the box of biscuits from her hand and stepped closer to her as he placed them in her basket. “Enjoy your Scottish shortbread biscuits dearie, do think of me when you’re eating them won’t you? He said seeming rather pleased with himself before turning and walking towards the cashier to pay for his items.

If he hadn’t been already on his way out the door by the time Belle got to the tills she would have reached for the box and thrown it at the back of his smug head. As it was, he had left and there was no point causing a scene now so she paid for her goods, shortbread biscuits included.

Mr Gold meanwhile was driving home with his purchases, his mind drunk on thoughts of the lovely, feisty brunette librarian with whom he was steadily becoming infatuated with.

The next day Belle was working, she was at the back of the library standing high on a ladder trying to return some books to the top shelves, as she was leaning up to re-shelve the volumes, the ladder began to wobble and Belle stumbled backwards when one of her heels caught on the rung and sent her hurtling to the floor.

Belle closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact she was sure to feel but it never came. Instead she somehow had a softer landing and when she opened her eyes she saw Mr Gold staring back at her. She let out a squeak of surprise when she realised that she was now in his arms. What followed was several minutes of Mr Gold and Belle each staring intently at the other trying to figure out what to make of this unexpected development.

He recovered first saying “tell me Miss French are you going to make a habit of falling into my arms because if so then I must start visiting the library more often.”

She blushed a deep red as he held her when she realised that she had wrapped her arms around his neck "I suppose it would be rude of me not to say thank you" she finally said as he continued to look at her with a strange expression on his face, his grip on her tightening momentarily.

"I think you can set me down now" she said but instead he brought his face close to hers, his lips hovering ever so close to her own but not touching. "We have to stop meeting like this dearie, this is how rumours begin" he murmured but then he pulled back from her.

"No sweetness" he said looking at her intently "I’m not going to waste our deal, if I’m going to claim my kiss from you I’m going to do it properly" and he let her go carefully setting her gently on the ground.

"What are you doing here anyway?" She asked him.

"I would have thought that was obvious, this is the library isn't it, I’ve come to register as a member, there’s a few books I would like to borrow if you don’t mind?" he replied.

She nodded her head stiffly before moving to the desk "you’ll have to fill in a short application and then I can get you a membership card" she told him.

"That’s fine" he said watching her search for the forms and noticing that she had a small plate of shortbread biscuits on her desk. "Developing a taste for these are you dearie?" he asked slyly while stealing one from the plate.

Belle didn’t answer but she couldn’t hide her blush, something that was endlessly pleasing to him and frustrating her to no end because it was becoming a habit around him.

"Membership form" she said placing one on the desk in front of him "fill it in please."

"Here you are dearie" he said ten minutes later pushing the completed form back towards her.

"Very good" she replied "Mr Nicholas Gold" she said reading his full name aloud and he felt a delicious shiver run through him on hearing his given name pass her lips for the first time.

"Do you have any official documentation on you that proves your name and address Mr Gold?" she asked him.

"Right here" he said producing his driver's license for her to check.

"Well everything seems to be in order here Mr Gold, I'll just stamp this and here" she said producing a plastic card and filling in some details on it "is your card if you would be so kind as to sign the signature strip please and your good to go" she told him.

"Thank you very much" he replied "and now if I may Miss French would you be so kind as to join me for dinner this evening at my home?"

"I'm afraid not Mr Gold" she replied "I already have plans this evening."

"Such as" he enquired.

"Watching the paint dry on my newly decorated bedroom walls" she retorted dryly.

"Oh touché Miss French" he said smirking and turning to go.

"What a minute" she stammered as he reached the doors "I thought you were here to borrow some books?"

"Oh I am" he replied "but I can just as easily come back and borrow them tomorrow" he answered with a wink "and perhaps you may be feeling more agreeable to having dinner with me."

"You can dream Mr Gold" she replied.

"Oh believe me dearie I do" he told her with a smirk and then he was gone.

This was it, his payback for her avoiding him for a whole week, she realised he was going to keep coming back and asking her to dinner until she gave in and accepted, _well he_ _can try_ she thought to herself _he can try_.


End file.
